Interview with Karl Doyle

"Sumo" by Karl Doyle

The Photographer’s Eye and Japanese Culture

Composition, Story and Editing to Improve Your Photography

Through a series of weekly assignments, the continuing education course Photographing Japanese Culture for the World to See, at Temple University, Japan Campus, will enable you to bring your photography to the next level, sharpen your eye and help you focus on Japanese culture as an image backdrop. It will explore how to tell a story, the power of editing your work and how to introduce your images to a wider audience.

As the instructor, professional photographer Karl Doyle, says: "Today most people have some sort of camera device on them and can take a photograph without too much effort involved. Just press the button and you get an instant result." This is not really being in control of your own imagery. In this course, students will get beyond "automatic mode" and learn to envision the whole process. "Knowing how to use the camera in manual mode—in other words, understanding the numbers and the dials—will elevate the hobbyist to a more focused artist in a very short time," he adds.

Doyle also believes that while there is an art to—and a definite need for—post-production and editing, composition in-camera (as one is taking the photograph) is paramount. With a little practice and guidance from this course, this becomes easier, giving photographers more options, freedom and overall better images. "It’s all a matter of self-principle and how you like to work. The chosen software is just another tool for the photographer to use and manipulate the image further if needed," he says.

With all the new gadgets, cameras, toys, tech and media tutorials, sometimes we forget that the main point is to just get out there and shoot. Doyle hopes that in the long run, this is what students will really take away from this course—along with a newfound sense of confidence and style. "To create a story, a narrative or a series is what separates the hobbyist from the artist."

About Karl Doyle

Karl Doyle has lived and worked in London, Paris, Miami and New York. He’s worked alongside some of the most creative professionals in the fields of fashion, advertising and branding, including fashion visionary Thierry Mugler on many perfume campaigns for Clairns of Paris. Together with top fashion models, stylists and art directors, Doyle has traveled the globe and gone on to enjoy creating fine art photography, shooting in remote locations such as northern Mongolia and Iceland. Irish born and with a diploma in photography his camera has never stopped clicking. Now a four-year resident of Japan, he documents the culture here in all it’s facets.